Vulcan Science Academy
by Starsinger
Summary: Plot bunnies abound. Just as an experiment, Vulcan decides to let human high school students take the entrance exam to the Vulcan Science Academy. One person passes it and they let him attend the Academy. This is extremely AU, as Jim will be on Vulcan when Nero attacks. Jim and T'Nara talk.
1. Chapter 1

**Vulcan Science Academy**

by Starsinger

**Plot bunnies abound. Just as an experiment, Vulcan decides to let human high school students take the entrance exam to the Vulcan Science Academy. One person passes it and they let him attend the Academy. This is extremely AU, as Jim will be on Vulcan when Nero attacks. Don't own them.**

_Surface of Vulcan_

"Jim! Are you sure about this?" T'Pau asked. As panicked as Jim has seen any Vulcan.

"T'Pau, this is what happened when the Kelvin was attacked. I don't know what will happen, but is it logical to take any chances?" James Kirk, the only Human present asked.

The elderly Vulcan stared at him before heading into the ship along with her priestesses and students and instructors from the VSA. Jim looked around before boarding, almost certain that this would be the last time he would see the planet that had become home.

_Earth—Eight Years Earlier_

"Before you see an exam for another college. It's not known whether or not anyone who passes this test will actually be offered a place in the Academy, but you are being given the opportunity," Jim looked up at the professor giving them instructions. Jim was one of six in the area being given this opportunity. He was a senior at the local university while the other eighteen year olds were about to finish high school. "Good luck."

Jim sighed as he looked down at his PADD. Who knew why they decided these things anymore? If it kept him away from his stepfather, Frank, he was all for it. The test started and he had no more time to think. It was a fast paced test that required extensive knowledge of a wide variety of subjects. He was sure about his answers on the Engineering, Math, and Science portions, but the Linguistics and Medicine portions left him shaking his head. By the time they were done Jim was ready for the break.

Jim stepped out of the building and headed back to the Campus. He had homework for his Physics Class. He had a message to return from Brenda, his current girlfriend. He completely forgot about the test he had just taken. He finished out the year, and graduated with two Bachelor's Degrees: Physics and Engineering. He was planning on returning the next year to start his post-graduate studies when a knock came on his door. He opened it to find two Vulcans and a Starfleet officer standing outside, "May I help you?"

"Are you James Tiberius Kirk?" the Vulcan on the right, slightly taller than the other Vulcan, asked him.

"Yes," Jim asked, understandably confused.

The Starfleet officer stepped in, "Sir, may we come in? These men would like to speak with you."

Jim opened the door. The first thing that the other men noticed was that the apartment was almost obsessively neat and spare, few belongings occupied the space. Nothing appeared to be out of place. "What's this all about?" Jim asked. "I'm not in trouble, am I?"

"No, Jim, you're not," the officer replied with a smile.

"Do I know you?" Jim asked.

"We met a long time ago. I was on the ship that rescued you from the Kelvin. My name is Christopher Pike," he replied.

"Okay," Jim said cautiously. He gestured to the kitchen table. "So, why are you here?"

"Two months ago you took an exam. It was the entrance exam to the Vulcan Science Academy. You were the only one with sufficient scores to enter the Academy," the taller Vulcan replied.

Jim was suddenly intrigued. This opportunity would provide a real challenge, "Really? I would have to move to Vulcan."

"Ambassador Sarek," the first Vulcan replied, nodding to his companion, "his son recently left home. He has offered a place in his home to you if you choose to attend the Academy." The Ambassador nodded in agreement, remaining silent, and sad. His eyes were very sad.

"My wife is human and would enjoy the company of another human," Sarek replied.

Jim nodded, then smiled, "When do I need to be on Vulcan?" He heard the human officer chuckle.

"You should come in the next two weeks. It will take a few weeks to adjust to Vulcan as its atmosphere is thinner and warmer than Earth's. We have the ability to help you acclimatize, but it would be best if you did so before the start of the Academic year." Sarek turned to Pike, "Captain Pike will make arrangements for your transport to Vulcan. Live Long and Prosper."

The Vulcans left Jim let out a long breath, "Did that really happen. I was going to have to pack up and go back 'home' in two weeks, now I won't have to!" Chris smiled as the younger man kept talking about packing most of his belongings off to return to the family farm. They both knew this would be an adventure Jim would never forget.

_In Orbit Around Vulcan's Far Moon_

"Yes, Lieutenant, we've crammed about 400 Vulcans onto this transport and are headed out of the system," Jim told the communications officer, he thought her name was Uhura. "We'll meet you outside the system. We need to get some of these people off, or we won't make it to the next system. Thank you," Jim finished.

Jim exited the cockpit and approached T'Pau, "T'Pau, I'm sorry. Vulcan is gone." He heard many gasps rang through the room. "We're meeting up with Commander Spock and the USS Enterprise outside the solar system. They'll take some of the passengers to relieve some of the crowding here. I'll go with them."

"So will I," T'Pau responded. "I want to see for myself that my grandson is still alive."

Jim nodded as the speaker crackled to life, "The Enterprise is approaching. All departing passengers please report to the transporter room.

Jim was among the last of the 150 people to transport over. He immediately supported the frail T'Pau after the rematerialized. He looked at the transport officer, "Hey, is there somewhere we can rest?"

The other man stared at Jim for a full minute before calling the bridge, "Sir, we have the last of the refugees coming off that ship. Sir, one of them is human."

**Please read and drop a review.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 **

by Starsinger

**Jim starts his new life on Vulcan. Don't own them.**

_USS Enterprise_

"Sir, we have the last of the refugees coming off that ship. Sir, one of them is human," Spock heard over the intercom. Spock's head jerked around as he turned to look at his father. Sarek's eyebrows drew together before he turned and entered the turbolift. "Mr. Sulu, you have the conn," Spock said rising and heading for the lift.

Spock pondered who the human might be on the trip down. He remembered his mother mentioning a young man who had come to attend the Vulcan Science Academy years before. Surely he had gone home after he finished. He paused as entered the transporter room. Aged T'Pau was being guided out of the room by her priestesses and several security guards. Indeed, a young male human was heading out with her talking to Sarek. "I grieve with thee, Sarek," he replied to information Sarek had given him.

"Jim," Sarek interrupted him to introduce him to Spock, "this is my son, Spock. You have heard Amanda speak of him."

"Yes, she spoke of you with much pride," Jim replied. "Jim Kirk," Jim said to Spock, carefully keeping his hands to his side. Spock nodded. Jim simply nodded back at Sarek before exiting the room.

"Where is he going?" Spock asked.

"Sickbay, he feels his presence might help alleviate some of the anxiety some of our people are feeling. He single-handedly managed to get 400 hundred of our people off the planet before it was destroyed," Sarek looked at his son. "He has served as my aide in the years since he came to Vulcan." Spock nodded, the young man appeared to be quite capable.

_Eight Years Earlier, Earth_

Jim Kirk sat at the shuttle port seating area, waiting for the shuttle that would take him to the ship that would take him to Vulcan. Another of his tasks upon reaching Vulcan was to learn Vulcan, the language. He had already started the process by downloading a program to teach the basics of the alphabet and pronunciation. Siberuk, an instructor at Starfleet Academy, had recommended the program to him. "May I join you?" he heard someone ask. He looked up to find a young African only, few years older than he standing there.

"Sure," Jim replied amiably patting the seat next to him. "Jim Kirk."

"Geoffry M'Benga," the other man replied, "headed for Vulcan, huh?"

"Yeah, I was accepted to the Vulcan Science Academy. What about you?"

"I've been accepted to the Vulcan Halls of Healing. I'll be there for two years before returning to my residency in Kenya," Geoff replied. "I'm considering about attending Starfleet Academy as well."

"That's a full plate. You and I must be firsts. There can't be that many humans invited to the Vulcan Halls of Healing," Jim responded.

"I'm the first human, just as you are. Will you be staying with Ambassador Sarek and his wife?" Geoff asked. "I will."

"We're both in this together," Geoff said with a laugh. The waiting area had almost filled when the call came to start boarding the shuttle. They waited for their aisle numbers to be called before boarding. Someone had thoughtfully placed them next to each other. They were both nervous as both were travelling to Vulcan for the first time. The shuttle flight was quick as they docked with the SS Princess Diana. A liner travelling to various planets within the United Federation of Planets. Vulcan would take a week and the boys, sharing a cabin, planned on making the most of the trip.

Neither man was used to luxury, so their small cabin with bunk beds suited them just fine. They were impressed that the cabin had its own facilities. They wandered around the ship and noted the bars that they'd never be allowed to enter. It turned out that Geoff was only twenty. They immediately discovered the dining room with the buffet table. Jim was overwhelmed, Geoff was gratified.

They met a single Vulcan on her way home from Earth. Her name was T'Pring and she said she was on Earth visiting her betrothed at Starfleet Academy. She was curious as to why they were travelling to Vulcan, and pretty much left them alone after learning their purpose. She seemed very, aloof. They spent an hour in the pool at the onboard gym. They swam and laughed at the kids jumping into the pool. They knew the reputation of Vulcan. This was luxurious compared to the austere conditions they were likely to encounter on the planet.

Geoff wasn't prepared for his roommate to be very spare in his eating. He ate slowly and only filled about half his plate. Everything he ate was nutritious and filling, but Geoff couldn't help but note that Jim was slightly underweight. He did smile when Jim picked up a big piece of cherry pie with ice cream. "I suppose we should adjust to a vegetarian diet," Jim said.

"Ambassador Sarek led me to believe that we would be able to obtain what we need to stay healthy. Of course he was talking more along the lines of fish and chicken," Geoff replied. "His wife is human."

"I didn't know that," Jim replied. "No wonder he volunteered to take us in." They both turned in for the night, looking forward to the rest of the voyage.

_USS Enterprise_

Jim entered the Sickbay just behind T'Pau. What she really needed was rest. He helped her to a bed as he was approached by an older human man. "Dr. Leonard McCoy," he mumbled, barely looking up from his PADD. "You are…human?" he suddenly stared at the blonde in front of him.

"Jim Kirk, Ambassador Sarek's personal assistant. This is T'Pau, I think she's fine, but do you have someone conversant with Vulcan Anatomy?" Jim asked.

"Will I do?" a voice asked from the other side of the bed.

"Geoff!" Jim cried walking briskly around the bed to give the man a hug. "So you did join Starfleet!"

"Just like I planned, although, this wasn't entirely planned," Geoff replied gesturing to the ship. "The debris around the planet was the secondary fleet." Jim winced.

"Where are we headed?" T'Pau asked.

"As far as I know, the Laurentian System to meet up with the main fleet," McCoy responded.

Jim shook his head, "No, we need to head to Earth. I have a bad feeling that's that ship's next target."

**I'm trying to slow this story down in the past aspect of it. Hope you're enjoying it, I'm definitely enjoying all the reviews! Please drop me one!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 **

by Starsinger

**Geoff and Jim continue on to Vulcan. Don't own them.**

Jim woke up the next morning and realized that he had told Geoff a mistake. Sarek had told him about his wife. He must have had a royal "brain fart". Or maybe his hair color was starting to show? Jim shrugged it off as he laughingly told Geoff. "You're showing your blonde roots, my friend!" Geoff said with a laugh. Jim launched his tube of toothpaste at his head that missed and crashed into the wall.

Geoff was completely different from the doctor who would become his best friend years later. Geoff loved adventure and loved going into space. He had jumped at this chance to travel to Vulcan on a dare from his great-grandmother. Geoff had wanted something different, and his great-grandmother had heard about the venerated Vulcan Halls of Healing. Geoff sent off a letter of interest to T'Pau, not knowing that was who he it eventually went to. When an invitation arrived along with a ticket to Vulcan, Geoff hesitated. His father had died from a fatal fall in the nearby national park, and he wanted to provide for his family. His little brother stepped up to the plate and found a job as a park ranger. Geoff's family had sent him off to the shuttleport in San Francisco with a lot of tears and many promises to write. Geoff had received his first e-mail from his mother before he'd even gotten on the shuttle.

Jim, after much thought, sent e-mails off to his mother and brother, letting them know he was leaving the planet. He didn't get an e-mail from his mom, not that he expected one. She was probably off-planet. His brother, Sam, had started a family down in Malibu and had started a career as a Xenobiologist. He promptly told Jim that he was jealous and wish he was coming too. If he got the chance, Sam told him that he'd sneak off and visit him on Vulcan. Jim smiled at the post-script from Aurelan, "Not without us, he's not!"

Jim and Geoff spent their first full day on the ship exploring. "Hey, what are you doing there? That's the lady's facilities!" was shouted at them from outside that part of the on-board gymnasium. The same shouter was admiring them at the pool an hour later. They spent a lot of time at the gym. They also found the ship's library which held actual books, that day. What time they didn't spend at the gym, they spent there. Geoff spent an odd amount of time trying to convince Jim to eat. He did, whatever was put in front of him. He was reticent about why this was a problem, almost as much as taking off his shirt. He always did that in the privacy of the bathroom or shower in the gym's locker room. When they found the ship's arboretum, Jim took a lot of pictures to send to Sam. He knew Sam would be jealous.

The ship's crew looked after them. Neither was underage, but they were looked after, nonetheless. The crew, especially the women, were sad when they finally boarded the shuttle down to Vulcan. Jim and Geoff were excited. They, unfortunately, noticed the heat and the thin atmosphere immediately. Jim started gasping before he felt the familiar sting of a hypo against his neck. Whatever they had given him immediately relieved the effects of Vulcan's climate. He watched as the middle aged human woman did the same for Geoff.

The woman stepped back and surveyed them, "Welcome to Vulcan, I am Amanda, Ambassador Sarek's wife," she said with a big smile.

"James Kirk, aka Jim," Jim responded.

"Geoffrey M'Benga, call me Geoff," Geoff offered.

Amanda was of medium height, and had dark hair and fair skin. She was Jim's mother's age, but kind and genuinely happy to see them. "Follow me, I'll show you to the home you'll share for your stay here on Vulcan," she said striding off in front of them.

"How long do you suppose it took her to get used to this?" Jim asked mopping at his face.

"I don't know, although, since I'm from Africa it should take me a shorter amount of time," Geoff said with a grin.

Jim glared at him, "Not my fault I'm from Iowa!" Geoff started laughing as they pulled up to the residence. It was a low key affair, built of the same stone as the surrounding landscape, it blended into the countryside and the fence surrounding it was the only real indication that it was there. They grabbed their duffels and entered the home and the inside was as austere as the inside. There were definite human and female touches here and there. There weren't any flowers, but there were the occasional flowering cactus, an obvious Terran plant on a desert planet. There was two paintings and a sculpture that Jim suspected Amanda had done herself.

"I will help you learn Vulcan. All Vulcans speak Federation Standard, but it would be best if you could communicate in Vulcan. Sarek is not here at the mid-day meal, and you should come back here then. That is when meat is consumed here, so you'll get solid iron in your diet," Amanda grinned as she led them to the bedrooms. She pointed to two doors, "These are your rooms. You can work out between you which one is which." She pointed to another door, "Those are the facilities for you. Go in, settle down, take a nap. What I gave you was a triox compound, you'll get these twice a day to help you adjust." She shooed them into their rooms.

Jim stepped into one of the rooms. It was bigger than his room in the farmhouse in Iowa. It held a desk, a communications unit, a bed, and a computer. It also held a small unit that circulated cooler air onto the room which turned out to be hermetically sealed. Jim sighed as he kicked off his shoes, deposited his duffel on the desk, and lay down on the bed to take a nap. It had been a very eventful day.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 **

by Starsinger

**Jim and Geoff get things a little more practical for Vulcan than what they brought. They also learn a little more about Sarek and Amanda, and that abandoned room at the end of the corridor. Don't own them.**

Jim was sweating, profusely. The triox compound helped with the thinner atmosphere, the heat, not so much. Geoff's clothing, while more suited to the climate, was still too heavy. Amanda noticed her guest's uncomfortableness during dinner and smiled at them as she placed the meal on the table. The meal was a simple one consisting of various fruits, grains, vegetables and nuts to help provide the protein they needed.

"Sarek, I'm taking them into the market tomorrow to obtain clothing more appropriate to wear," Amanda announced.

Sarek nodded, "It's only logical. It will help acquaint them with their new home as well."

Amanda nodded as she sat at the end of the table and began to eat. Geoff and Jim dug in as well. Sarek and Amanda did not keep a quiet table. They asked pertinent questions as to their training and backgrounds.

"I'd like to study diplomacy," Jim announced. "I understand that there is a program for that study at the Academy."

Sarek nodded, "A satisfactory goal, Jim, as you already have a background in Science and Engineering."

"Do you have any children?" Geoff asked. "I understand genetic engineering on Vulcan is such that it has been accomplished."

Amanda responded, "We have a son, Spock, he is attending Starfleet Academy."

"Will he be coming home during the breaks?" Jim asked.

"No," Sarek responded, "he is remaining on Earth." The subject then shut down entirely. Amanda filled the suddenly uncomfortable silence with questions about Earth. It had been about ten years since she'd returned with Sarek, but she always craved for news from home. Jim and Geoff gladly filled her in with the latest things that occurred there.

"They're building a new starship at the Riverside shipyards," Jim said. "Well, it's still in the planning stages. I imagine Admiral Archer is excited about it. It's to be named the USS Enterprise."

Amanda laughed, "I need to tell T'Pol. She should get a kick out of that. As much as a Vulcan can, anyway."

The next morning they awoke early for breakfast and Jim had to admit that he was looking forward to the shopping trip. Maybe he could even get a hat. They left the house and Vulcan's Red Giant Sun beat down on them again with its oppressive heat. Amanda made sure they'd received the compound before they left. "The amount you receive will be reduced with every dosage to help you slowly adjust to the environment," Amanda had told them.

Jim nodded as they entered the market. It had many of the things that would be expected to be found at a market. Clothing, food in refrigerated units, jewelry, and even weapons were displayed. Vulcans were pacifists, but they were also pragmatists. Everyone was expected to be able to defend themselves. The clothing was made of a cotton like substance in muted colors that blended into the landscape, "It's a holdover from the time before Surak," Amanda told them. "Terrible wars were fought all across the planet. They even used nuclear bombs." Jim winced as he considered Earth's own history. Although Earth had had only one Nuclear war. Vulcans tend to be conservative anyway.

Jim watched as they approached one shop with robes of many muted colors. Jim and Geoff managed to find clothing they could wear out of the shop, and the shopkeeper promised to forward the rest based on their measurements. Their next stop was at a shoe shop where they got shoes that fit them and last for many years.

To Jim's relief, their last stop was at a shop that sold hats and cloaks. They both bought two hats and a cloak. Jim and Geoff donned the hats when they exited the shop and stowed the rest in the car that had been left in a nearby parking lot. Jim smiled as he saw a reflection of himself in a reflection of a nearby window. The broad-brimmed hat, red robes, and black boots made him look more like he belonged, blonde hair, blue eyes, and round ears notwithstanding.

"Well, we won't stand out as much," Geoff said, pointing out a group of people who were obviously tourists. Amanda and Jim laughed as they reentered the car.

Jim was putting away his clothing when he heard a knock at the door. He opened the door to find Amanda standing outside, "Hey, Jim, just seeing how you're settling in."

Jim looked around as he finished folding and hanging his clothes. "As well as can be expected, I guess," he responded.

"You didn't bring much with you," Amanda said.

"I never had much, growing up. I was the baby born after the attack on the USS Kelvin, and my mother blamed me for my father's death. After she remarried, her new husband didn't like us, and resented the fact Winona left us with him and continued working for Starfleet. I eventually left home, and now I'm here," Jim said. Amanda knew there had to be more to the story than that, but it explained a lot. She now knew where she'd heard the name Kirk. "What about Spock? What happened?"

"What do you mean?" Amanda asked.

"If he's sharp enough to get into Starfleet Academy, he should be here at the Vulcan Science Academy. What happened?" Jim showed surprising insight in that moment. Instincts that would serve him well in the years to come.

"He went before the board and they accepted him, and then they insulted him. Told him he had a disadvantage having a human mother. He walked out and left for Earth the next day. This has caused a terrible rift with his father. They haven't talked since he left two months ago," Amanda admitted.

"But you have," his blue eyes met her green eyes for a moment.

"Yes, no matter what he does with his life, I want him to know that he has a very proud mother," Amanda whispered. Jim nodded. Not quite understanding the relationship between mother and son, but very envious that she could mean so much to him.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 **

by Starsinger

**Jim and Geoff make pilgrimages. Don't own them.**

Ambassador Sarek's home was located on the outskirts of the city of Shi' Kahr, nominally the capital of Vulcan. It housed the council and the Academy anyway. Amanda said there was actually a sea and a lake closer to one of the poles with actual standing water. She also said there was snow on the top of Mt. Seleya. Both Geoff and Jim found that difficult to believe. That was until Amanda pointed that one of the volcanoes in Hawaii had snow as well.

So, Jim and Geoff decided to go off on several pilgrimages. Today, they were headed to Mount Seleya. This would also be the day that Geoff saw for the first time the Vulcan Halls of Healing. Tomorrow, if they felt up to it, they would venture to the Vulcan Science Academy. Soon after that they would go see one of the two bodies of water that still existed on Vulcan.

Amanda told them that people used to make the entire pilgrimage on foot and that would take days. These days, they only made you walk up the mountain from the base. So both young men donned their red-brown robes and capes and entered the car that would take them both to Mt. Seleya. The mountain was enormous. Said to be taller than Mount Everest on Earth, Jim and Geoff carried extra Triox compounds just in case it was needed. They also carried several bottles of water apiece. Amanda assured them that they would receive refills when they reached the top. She also called ahead and made sure that they would have rooms when they arrived. She didn't think they'd return that night. Jim and Geoff, with all the confidence of youth, proclaimed they would be back before nightfall. Boy were they wrong.

They grinned at each other as they looked up the mountainside, full packs on their backs. Geoff swept his arm up the slope as they fully realized just how big Mt. Seleya was. They started up the easy western trail as a Vulcan, a Sehlat on a leash in front of him, exited the trail. Jim and Geoff both looked at the animal, "Did you see the size of the fangs on that thing?" Jim asked.

Geoff stared at it, "Amanda called it a Vulcan Teddy Bear."

"Did that make you feel any better? We're talking about bears!" Jim exclaimed. Geoff raised a finger and opened his mouth, nothing came out. Jim pulled out the phaser Amanda had pressed on them, "I think I now know why she made sure I had this, and it's not because of the Vulcans." Geoff nodded. They both took a deep breath, coughed because of the hot, dusty atmosphere, and started up the slope.

A third of the way up they encountered a wild Sehlat, it ran past them like it was being hunted. Halfway up and the sun had already hit its zenith, so they stopped and at lunch. Another quarter of the way up, they wondered if they'd make it to the top before the sun set. At the top they met the oldest Vulcan either had ever met, T'Pau. T'Pau was still a handsome woman who was very formal in front of her Priestesses, "I welcome thee to Mt. Seleya. I am T'Pau, Sarek's mother. Come, you must be thirsty." She turned and led them to the inner sanctuary of the Vulcan temple.

T'Pau took them to cushions surrounding a table where they all sat. She picked up a pitcher and filled three cups with the water in the pitcher and handed them their cups with her own hands. Jim smiled as he drank from the cup. Geoff did as well. "You are here to see the Halls of Healing," she said as she set the cup down.

"Yes, Ma'am," Geoff responded.

"You are the first Human to be invited to learn here," T'Pau told him.

"I am honored, Ma'am," Geoff responded.

"And you," she said pointing at Jim, "are the first Human to attend the Academy." Jim nodded, drinking the water noisily. "You are thirsty," she responded. Soon, food was set before them. "T'Kir will show you to your rooms for the night." The other woman's black eyes raked over both men, seemingly disapprovingly. She politely waited for them to finish their meals before sweeping out of the room and leading them to their rooms.

"The gongs will sound for morning meal. You will be shown the Halls of Healing afterwards. Good night," she nodded at them as they entered their rooms. It reminded Jim of a monk's cell, austere was a good adjective for it. The room consisted of a pallet for a bed, a table and trunk for other essentials. Jim pulled off his clothes after depositing his pack on the table, and fell into bed, immediately falling asleep. Unfortunately, it seemed like he had just closed his eyes when a knock was heard at his door, waking him up for breakfast. Jim struggled out of bed and into his change of clothes before joining T'Pau for the morning meal.

T'Pau then introduced them to Siperu, Chief of the Halls of Healing. "On Vulcan, we take a different approach to healing. The Vulcan body and mind are remarkably well adapted to healing much of what afflicts our bodies. We also have facilities for operating and other procedures to help in the healing process. You will learn about Vulcan Healing Trances among other things. You have probably heard that not only is Vulcan blood green, the heart is where the liver is in a human. The climate and slightly higher gravity on Vulcan also means that they are stronger than humans. Our body temperature is higher than humans as well due to our metabolism, the downside to that is we don't tolerate temperatures below freezing well. No one actually lives on the peaks of Mt. Seleya."

Most of what Siperu told them went over their heads. He finally turned and handed a book to Geoff, "Here, this will get you started on what you will need to know…" they turned as a man came screaming into the healing. They had reached one of the operating theaters of the halls. Siperu reached out and touched the man's forehead. "Where is his mate?" he demanded.

"She was just found dead in her home. She's being brought in for an autopsy," another healer informed him.

Siberu motioned to another healer before approaching the man again, pressing his fingers to the man's forehead, "Do you want to live?" They watched as moments passed between them, Siperu turned back to the others. "Take him to a room and make him comfortable. He does not want to live." The others nodded as they took him away. Siperu turned to the two humans, "Look up Pon Farr and Plak Tow in the text I gave you. You may see it as well, Kirk." They both nodded their thanks and left. They thankfully realized that T'Pau had provided transportation once they got out of the temple that took them down to the bottom of the mountain. The day was fading when they returned to Sarek's home.

"How was your trip?" Amanda asked.

"Educational," Jim responded as Geoff started to laugh. It had definitely been that.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

by Starsinger

**We're rejoining Jim on the Enterprise, and then venture to the Vulcan Science Academy. Don't own it, darn it…**

_USS Enterprise_

Jim stood at the observation window watching space speed past at warp speed. He wore the only things he had left of his time on Vulcan: his red robes and cape, black boots, and the broad brimmed hat clutched in his hands. He didn't even remember grabbing it before dashing for the transport.

Vulcan, he had spent eight years there. It had become home, and he had found a family that he really had never had there. He spent four years as a student at the Academy, another two years as an assistant researcher and sometime diplomat, and the last two years teaching, guiding the students on their individual paths to success. He had a good eye for those who were struggling and what might help them on their way. "I heard about Amanda, Jim," Jim heard T'Nara's voice behind him. "I grieve with thee."

Jim turned to her, he'd met T'Nara on his initial visit to the Academy, and he was grateful she had made it off-planet. He reached up and touched her face, and she returned the gesture. They weren't formally married, but they had a bond like no other. She'd never tried to make him something he wasn't, and he'd appreciated it. "I miss it too," she whispered.

"It's good to see you again, T'Nara," a voice sounded behind her. She turned to see Geoff, and she nodded to him. "I spent two years there, and I can't believe it's gone either."

Another voice joined them, "I am curious, how is it you became so close to my parents."

Jim turned toward the man, "Spock." Jim's face was impassive as he regarded the other man. "In some ways, I filled the void that was there because you left."

"You'd look the part if you weren't so obviously human," Spock said softly.

"Spock, we need to go to Earth. That's where this man…"

"Nero, his name is Nero," Spock responded.

"That's where Nero is headed. It'll be a waste of time to rendezvous with the fleet. If we do, Earth will be destroyed by the time we get there," Jim said.

"I don't need to be lectured by someone who usurped my place in my parent's household!" Spock spat out.

"I didn't usurp your place! You abandoned them!" Jim exclaimed…

_Vulcan_

The Vulcan Science Academy sat on the outskirts of Shi' Kahr on a relatively flat space of land. Jim and Geoff were extremely happy about this, even though the car dropped them off right in front of the entrance. At least they didn't have a long trek up a mountainside this time around. At the entrance was the most unusual Vulcan Jim would ever meet. She had red hair and green eyes, Vulcan's had the full color spectrum of hair and eye color that humans had, but, like humans, the darker colors were dominant. The striking color caught Jim and Geoff's eyes immediately. "Welcome," she said approaching them, "I am T'Nara, I will be your guide today."

They nodded at her as she turned back up the steps to the building. Edifice was a good adjective for this imposing place. The first thing Jim noticed was that Vulcans did not hurry. They picked up their pace when it was obvious they were late for class, but they did NOT hurry. "What area of study are you considering?" T'Nara asked.

"Diplomacy," Jim replied, "I already have degrees in Physics and Engineering, I'd like to try something different. I understand that the study of Diplomacy here is unsurpassed."

T'Nara nodded, "Yes, I'll take you to that part of the campus. "You have started your language courses?"

Jim and Geoff nodded, "I know several languages, but I never learned Vulcan, which is weird considering I know all three dialects of Romulan, but, go figure."

"There are three dialects of Romulan?" T'Nara asked.

"Yes, Romulan, Reman, and Rihannsu. Romulan and Reman are specific to each planet, and Rihannsu belongs to the slave population that occupied Romulus when they Romulans decided to take up residence there. All three make up the same language, it differs from Vulcan in the Rihannsu incorporation into the main language," Jim responded. "At least that's what I've noticed since starting in on the Vulcan language. It's closer, oddly enough, to the original, pre-Surak language than Vulcan is."

Geoff and T'Nara both stared at Jim, "How have you managed such a comparison?" T'Nara finally asked.

"I have an eidetic memory, perfect recall," Jim said with a shrug.

"You should make an interesting addition to the student body, then," a voice sounded. A tall Vulcan man emerged from side hallway. "I am Tirion, Director of the Department of Diplomacy. Welcome, Mr. Kirk. If you step into my study, we can discuss a possible course of study."

The discussion took two hours. Even Geoff was entranced at the course of study Jim would end up taking. Five Alien Cultures of the Federation courses alone took up most of the first term of study. Fortunately, the books required were easily transferred to Jim's PADD. T'Nara couldn't help herself, she showed the two young humans around the rest of the campus to see other classes Jim would visit as his years would go on.

Geoff waited by the car as Jim turned his charming smile on the young Vulcan, "T'Nara, I know we just met, but would you like to go out sometime?"

_Delta Vega_

Jim slowly awoke and stared up and around him. He was in an escape pod looking at six feet of solid ice. Someone had thoughtfully dressed him in warmer clothes: black long-sleeved shirt, matching pants and boots, and a good, solid coat. Jim groaned, his mountain climbing on Vulcan and Earth was about to come in handy.

Jim struggled out of the tunnel and looked at the harsh, white landscape around him. Jim suddenly understood why Sarek and his son had had a falling out, damn Vulcan was stubborn. Kicked him off the Enterprise when Jim suggested that he was a fool chasing after the main fleet. Never mind, the computer promised him that there was a nearby Starfleet outpost and that was where he was headed. He just hoped he would see T'Nara again.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 **

by Starsinger

**Jim and Geoff's plans to go to the Voroth Sea when Jim contracts a flu-like illness. Turns out, he's contracted a deadly illness that, up to this point, only Vulcans have gotten, and most of those who do, die. But, this is Jim Kirk, and he's not Vulcan, therefore, he can't do anything normally. Don't own them.**

Geoff knocked on Jim's door. Jim didn't appear for breakfast, and Geoff was worried. He opened the door when Jim did not answer and found Jim curled up on his side holding a basin under his mouth. "Geoff, turn off that light, please!"

Geoff rushed over and immediately pressed the back of his hand to Jim's forehead, Jim was burning up. "You received all your shots before we left, right?" Geoff asked.

"Everything Starfleet and the Federation thought I might catch here," Jim groaned.

Geoff hurried out of the room, "Amanda, call the healers, Jim is sick, and I don't have the facilities here to figure out what it is," Geoff told the older woman.

In an hour T'Pau and Siperu were among six Vulcans who arrived. They had to rely on Geoff to draw everything they needed to make a diagnosis. Jim said it felt like the flu, he'd had that many times, and wasn't particularly worried about it. Next thing they both knew, the Vulcans reentered the room in full isolation gear and drew blood from everyone, including Sarek. They put the house under full isolation, they apparently did not want anyone to catch whatever it was Jim had.

Finally, T'Pau took Geoff aside, "Jim has picked up a virus we call tol'kath. It is virulent disease that has a death rate of about 95% among Vulcans."

"What about humans?" Geoff asked.

"We do not know. This is the first time it has jumped species," T'Pau's eyebrows drew together, worried. "He does not exhibit the symptoms that is typical for the disease. That might be because he is human. You and Amanda show no signs of the virus in your system. You have been here for a week?" Geoff nodded. "We will keep you here for a week, just to be sure."

"What about Sarek?" Geoff asked.

"He's being quarantined as well," T'Pau responded.

"Have you not developed a vaccine for this?" Geoff asked.

T'Pau sighed, "Vulcan immune system does not respond the way a human's does. This virus makes it impossible to make a vaccine for it."

"Jim survives, do you think you'll be able to develop one?" Geoff asked. T'Pau looked at him thoughtfully. "Jim's misfortune could save lives." Geoff pulled up Jim's bloodwork, "His body is tackling it like it's another virus. We keep pumping him with fluids, keep his temperature within tolerances, and so far we've managed that with aspirin, maybe we can help Vulcans in a way we hadn't considered before."

T'Pau nodded as Siperu talked with Geoff. The six Vulcans who had come first were also stuck at Sarek's house as they thought it was just a human illness. Geoff dealt with the isolation clad Vulcans for two days, they realized Vulcans could not contract the illness through casual contact, so they stepped down from the containment suit to protective gear. Jim coughed, sneezed, and vomited his way through the next five days of his illness. Geoff moved into Jim's room so the others could have some privacy. He and Amanda, who turned out to be a former nurse, among other things, helped him out.

"I feel like crap," Jim mumbled. "Are you sure this isn't just the flu? It sure feels like it," it was day three and Jim hadn't been able to keep anything down. Geoff had inserted an IV to keep Jim hydrated. So far, Geoff had not contracted the virus, and his bloodwork remained clean. Amanda as well remained healthy, unfortunately, one of the healers did contract it, and it showed when Siperu discovered her convulsing on the floor. The fear was palpable, even among the unflappable Vulcans.

"Come on, Jim, you'll be all right, too many people are counting on you to pull through," Geoff said, trying to soothe the other man by rubbing his back.

"How is T'Run?" Jim asked.

"Not good, Jim," Geoff whispered. "We can't get her temperature down." Jim nodded before grabbing the basin again and filling it again with the contents of his stomach. Jim knew how important it was to eat, and was doing his best.

Two days later Jim's fever broke. Geoff took blood as soon as he could, "This is important, Jim."

"I know, Geoff, did you get orange juice?" Jim asked.

"Fresh from the groves in Florida," Amanda said with a smile. Two more Vulcans came down with the symptoms just this morning.

"Hurry, Geoff, let's not lose anyone to this thing," Jim said. Jim turned to Amanda, "Why did it feel like the flu? Why didn't it affect me the way it did the others?"

"We're sending some of your blood work to Earth. Maybe the scientists there can figure that out," Amanda responded. "We're fortunate Sarek and T'Pau didn't get it." Amanda sighed, "You're a hero, Jim."

Jim looked at her, "For getting sick?"

"For living, Jim, for living," Amanda left to allow Jim to rest. Geoff and Siperu worked on a vaccine well into the night, configuring it for Vulcan anatomy, and hoping that it would work. They injected all the Vulcans with it, and using the unaltered version for both Geoff and Amanda. Unfortunately, in spite of everything they did, T'Run did not survive.

"They managed to extract her Katra, whatever that means," Geoff told Jim.

"We didn't make it to the Voroth Sea," Jim said. "I'm sorry."

Geoff laughed, "It's okay, Jim, I ended up being on the frontline in keeping Vulcans healthy. That's what I came here to do!" Geoff got a faraway look in his eyes. "When I was seven, Ebola Zaire swept through the village my family was living in. To this day, no one knows where it comes from or how to cure it. Of an extended family of thirty, aunts, uncles, parents, cousins, and five siblings, my parents an older sister, and I were the only ones to escape alive. It's what motivated me to become a doctor. I can't cure Ebola, but I can help here." Jim nodded, Geoff was a good man.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 **

by Starsinger

**Jim recovers. Don't own them.**

Jim sighed as he rolled over in bed. It had been two days since his fever broke, and everyone, except Geoff, insisted that he stay in bed. Geoff had declared him fully recovered already, but the Vulcans were taking an overly cautious approach. So, he was stuck in bed. He had spent a considerable amount of time reading the materials the VSA had given him and had read the first book for the first course.

Geoff walked in on the third day, "I went to the ceremony for T'Run, today. They took her body into the Forge and left it there. It turns out that they believe after the Katra leaves the body, the body is just a shell and that shell is left to the elements."

"That's logical," Jim said. "But what's up with this 'Katra' business?"

Geoff shrugged, "They're even more closed-mouthed than they were about Pon Farr."

Both men looked up as they heard the door to Jim's room close. Amanda stood there, "This is not to go any further than this room." Jim and Geoff looked at each other and nodded in agreement, "The Katra is the essence of a Vulcan, the 'soul' if you will. They believe that the Katra can be extracted before death and deposited into the Halls of Thought on Mt. Seleya. The dying person mind melds, which you both will be learning about later, with another Vulcan and transfers their Katra to them. Later, they transfer the Katra to vessels. I'm not entirely sure what happens with the vessels, but the living apparently can communicate with the dead."

"That's rather spooky," Jim said. "What if they die before the Katra can be transferred?"

"The Katra, and everything that Vulcan was, is lost," Amanda responded. Jim and Geoff stared at each other, pondering the imponderable.

Two days later Jim was cleared to return to normal activities. He and Geoff set out for the Voroth Sea. They didn't know what to expect as it was the only body of water of significant on the planet, and they were promised a tour of sorts.

First off, they noticed the sea was purple. That didn't particularly bother them, the sky was red, so what if the water was purple? An Andorian greeted them on the boat docks. The blue skinned man gave them a big grin as he ushered them aboard. "Welcome, my name is Fred," Jim and Geoff stared at him. "My name is hard to pronounce, so I go by Fred." Jim chuckled while Geoff turned away grinning. "Let's get started."

The Voroth Sea was about as big as the Dead Sea on Earth, only livelier. They could see bioluminescence beneath the water, conveying how dark it was beneath the sea. "There are no waves, and there are no tides," Fred told them. "If you hadn't noticed, Vulcan has no moons," Fred said with a wink. "Geologically speaking, Vulcan is somewhat active, no one lives on active Volcanoes, but there are Earthquakes. There was even a Tsunami here about twenty years ago. An earthquake caused a rockslide on the other side of the sea. Fortunately, no one was home when the waves hit. I was on the water, and ended up being the one who called it in. Some Vulcans were very put out, well, as put out as any Vulcan will show, anyway. Anybody claustrophobic?" The two humans shook their heads, "No? Good." Fred hit a button that caused a shell to come overhead, encapsulating the boat. He, then, slid the boat smoothly under the water. There, they saw the Vulcan equivalent of fish, and much larger animals. "Vulcans found that an Earth species, called turtles, could be introduced without disrupting the ecosphere of the oceans. They were right, the turtles have replaced a species that was wiped out during the Time of Troubles, and kept a stable population in the sea itself. Fascinating how that works," Jim and Geoff laughed as a large specimen of the aforementioned Terran species stopped its swimming to blink at them.

There were other large species that looked like whales and dolphins, kind of. They weren't mammals, and they lit up the darker parts of the sea. There were also a large variety of underwater plants that looked like kelp, and the occasional animal that looked like a sea serpent. They finally slid out of the water, and Fred caused the shell to open back up. "It's funny," Fred said. "I never appreciated sailing until I came here. A human, Amanda, told me about it, and I tried it." Jim and Geoff watched as masts went up and sails came out. Fred turned off the motor as wind filled the sails and they leaped away, back towards the far shore.

Jim and Geoff disembarked and thanked Fred, it was well worth the trip. As they turned away Fred called, "Look, a Sky Eagle, a very good sign." Geoff and Jim looked up, shading their eyes, to see an enormous bird hovering overhead. It fell toward the lake, and with a victorious cry, scooped up a large fish in its talons before flapping away.

Amanda smiled as they returned home, "Have a good time?"

"We saw a Sky Eagle fishing at the end of our trip," Geoff said with a grin.

"Oh, that is a good omen. Well, as good as any that a non-superstitious Vulcan would see," Amanda looked worried.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Jim asked.

"Oh, it's Sarek. He really needs an assistant. He can hardly keep track of everything he needs to do during the day, and now, he scheduled three different things for the same time," Amanda looked distressed.

"Well, let's see what WE can do," Jim said confidently.

Jim looked at Sarek's schedule, finding similar problems in the next two weeks. He called people and made arrangements for other times, cancelled where it couldn't be done conveniently, and smoothed out a lot of issues that the overlaps caused.

Jim had just finished when he heard Sarek's voice, "If you want a job as my aide, you're hired." Jim looked startled at the Vulcan who had entered quietly behind them. Jim nodded, "Good, let's go discuss your salary." Geoff and Amanda looked at each other and laughed, this was a most interesting day.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 **

by Starsinger

**Jim goes to a few meetings with Sarek as his aide. He sticks out like a sore thumb, an efficient aide that makes all his peers look like amateurs. Don't own them.**

_USS Enterprise_

Geoff seemed distracted, McCoy noticed. He dealt with the Vulcan patients, but his mind was elsewhere. "Geoff, where are you?" McCoy asked softly.

"Vulcan, Delta Vega, I spent two years on Vulcan and got to know Jim," Geoff responded. "What Spock did was uncalled for," Geoff responded. "Jim took over as Sarek's aide, but was not Sarek and Amanda's son."

McCoy nodded, "He's a good guy."

"The best," Geoff responded. Geoff turned as Sarek entered Sickbay. Sarek motioned Geoff to join him. McCoy shook his head as both spoke in Vulcan. What was it about Jim Kirk that inspired such loyalty?

_Vulcan_

Jim looked, for all the world, like he was off in his own little world. He wore earplugs and nodded his head as if he was listening to music. The PADD was laid in front of him on the table flashing different pictures of Vulcan and home. This was all being done at the meeting for the Vulcan High Council. Thirty other aides sat around the room intently watching and paying attention to what was going on. Jim idly let his fingers play over the PADD in front of him.

More than one councilor and aide raised their eyebrows at Jim's nonchalant attitude surprised more than one person. As the meeting progressed Jim played video games causing more eyebrows to be raised. At the end Jim joined Sarek with a nod. The other councilors were concerned pointing out that Jim didn't seem to be doing his job. Sarek simply thanked them for their concerns.

On their way back home Jim uploaded a transcript of the entire meeting to Sarek's PADD in both Federation Standard and Vulcan. "You make this look easy while appearing to do nothing," Sarek said.

"I'm good at that," Jim replied. "For your trip to Earth next week I've made appointments with the Atlanta Zoo for talks about the Sky Eagle program. Biologists here and on Earth believe that this environment might be most conducive to helping grow the population of that endangered species. You'll be meeting with President Shi Long to discuss those issues that the council brought up today."

Sarek's eyes traveled over the transcript, "You have an actual voice recording of the meeting?"

Jim reached over and tapped a few buttons on the PADD. It brought up the vocal parts of the meeting, "It includes comments from some of the aides around me."

Sarek nodded in satisfaction, "Most satisfactory."

They arrived at home. Jim was still adjusting to the climate, and would start at the Academy while Sarek was away on Earth and would not be able to join him. Geoff had started at the Healing Halls already, and wasn't home when they returned. Amanda set out lunch for them as they sat down. The next day, Jim joined Geoff in starting back to school. His first two classes were introduction to Andorian and Orion. Andorian was tough, it involved a lot of clicking and noises in the back of the throat that Jim was having difficulty managing. He persevered through the first day and managed "Hello" and "Where are the facilities?" in both languages.

His two other classes were Introduction to Diplomacy and Interspecies Alliances. These were pretty straight forward. One of the main focuses of the Alliances course was the strange and strained alliance between the Klingon Empire and the Romulan Empire. Jim spent dinner trying to figure out what caused these two to ally.

Amanda addressed him, "Jim, a thousand years before Vulcans and Humans met, two hundred years after the Sundering, Vulcan and Andor met, and forged an alliance of their own." Jim nodded, "They polar opposites as far as species go. Andorians are warriors and very emotionally driven. Vulcans, well, they're not. Yet, they managed to find common ground. Now, Romulans and Klingons aren't that diametrically opposite, and their alliance is much newer, but they have managed this alliance for the past twenty years. Maybe there is not real reason for the alliance, but it has caused peace between them and the Federation since they came to an agreement."

"Good things come from odd relationships," Jim replied. Amanda nodded.

_Delta Vega_

Jim looked up, flat on his back. Moments earlier he was sure he was going to die, now, he was being defended by a Vulcan, even older than T'Pau, with a torch. The monster scurried away. Jim gaped as the Vulcan turned around. It couldn't be…

"Jim!" the Vulcan exclaimed.

Jim found his voice, "Excuse me?"

"You are James T. Kirk."

"Do I know you?"

"I have been, and always shall be, your friend."

Jim shook his head. He tried again, "Who are you?"

"I am Spock," the older Vulcan responded.

"Oh, bullshit, Spock is not my friend, which you should know. He blames me for taking over his position in his family!"

Spock blinked at him, "How would you do that?" Jim found himself explaining the past few years to this man. Spock looked completely confused, "You are not Captain of the Enterprise."

"How can I be Captain if I'm not even a member of Starfleet?" Jim muttered.

Spock murmured an understatement, "This could be a problem."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10 **

by Starsinger

**The reference to the "dolphin" species comes from a recently read book called "Dark Mirror" by Diane Duane. It has a dolphin, and is the Next Gen crew forced into the Mirror Universe. Troi is extremely creepy and very evil in this story. I know, that sounds just weird, and maybe a little wrong, but there it is. Jim, along with some of his classmates try to figure out languages that their mouths will never be able to form the words to, and some words that their ears will never hear. Universal Translators come in handy. That's right, Orcas aren't actually whales, they're the largest species of dolphin on the planet. Go look it up if you don't believe me. Don't own them.**

Jim sighed as he rubbed his hands against his face, he'd thought that this course would be limited to languages he'd actually be able to hear, much less pronounce, but no, here he was trying to work through the language of the natives of Triton II.

Triton II was a water world whose sentient inhabitants were relatives of the dolphin and porpoise species, specifically the Orcas and the Bottlenose Dolphins and Harbor Porpoises. Highly intelligent, they were excited by first contact with Humans, and somewhat bummed to learn that Earth had, at one time, mammals like themselves. Unfortunately, they had been hunted to extinction by the mid-21st century. This did not keep them from enthusiastically joining in in everything the Federation and Starfleet had to offer. Well, the Orcas would have, but Starfleet didn't have ships big enough to hold them other than the cargo bay, and that was too limited.

The Delphines, as they came to be known collectively, managed a "suit" to help them live on ships, while Starfleet built quarters specifically for them when they became crew. Their "suit" was basically a big, transparent aluminum bubble, mostly filled with water, that they could control with their fins and tail. They managed a way for it to be porous enough to allow oxygen inside, but not any water out. It was apparently a sight to see a Delphine "swimming" down corridors on their way to their quarters. These species ability to navigate, even in the depths of space where no magnetic fields were present, made them invaluable to potential deep space exploration vessels.

The problem stemmed from the fact that part of their language went into the ultra-high frequency sound waves that went beyond what most humanoids could hear, much less replicate and if they weren't paying attention to the Universal Translator, they would start talking over the Delphine, the marine mammals quickly learned not to take offense. The students weren't expected to actually speak or completely understand the language, but they were expected to be familiar with it, and able to respond to basic requests, like "where's the bathroom". Jim found that humorous, if the author of that particular chapter was Vulcan, he or she had a definite sense of humor.

T'Nara and the other Vulcans sitting at the table mirrored his thoughts if not his actions. They were currently listening to Delphine "opera" which was quite beautiful. They had half expected it to be composed entirely of clicks and squeaks, but the songs were quite intricate and required a lot of attention. Siporat hit the off switch on the recorder. They were only required to listen to only about five minutes of the opera, but they couldn't help it, they listened to the whole first act.

"I thought Andorian was difficult," Jim muttered. "At least I can hear everything they say in that language."

"I agree," T'Nara replied. "It is worth listening to, however."

"I do not think he disagrees with that, T'Nara," Sirek, another Vulcan youngster commented. "I think we need a break." The agreement was silent as they nodded to each other and rose from the chairs around the table. They were in the Vulcan equivalent of a library at the Academy and they wandered around and stretched talking to each other.

"What do you think of the Andorian History?" T'Nara asked.

The history of Vulcan and Andor was long and complicated. Two hundred years after the Sundering, an Andorian vessel crash landed on Vulcan leaving only one survivor of the blue skinned species. In spite of serious injuries, and not quite knowing his anatomy, the Vulcans attempted to heal him. They had achieved warp speed a hundred years after the Sundering and, quite logically, didn't go looking for more Andorians to help the survivor. They did, however, put out a satellite around the sixth planet with a beacon broadcasting pictures of the ship crashing on the surface of their planet.

Two years later, more Andorians showed up. The survived was still alive and had managed to communicate with his hosts. He had been surprised how he had been treated, he had been expecting to be tortured and questioned. It was the treatment of this man that formed and cemented the alliance between the two species. They didn't always agree, but they always had each other's backs. That was a simplistic view of the past two thousand years, but it was what had basically happened.

"My parents would like to meet you," a voice sounded behind him. Jim smiled as he turned to look at T'Nara.

"Why?" he asked.

"They are curious about you," T'Nara responded.

"Curious, huh?" Jim murmured. "I would be honored to have dinner with your family. When?"

"Tomorrow," T'Nara replied as they converged back on the table. Jim turned on the projector as they looked through the highlights on the sentient species of several planetary members of the Federation. This was going to be a long night!


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11 **

by Starsinger

**I'm making up a bunch of history for Vulcan loosely based on cannon and fannon. Don't own any of it.**

Jim donned his russet robes for his dinner with T'Nara and her parents. Amanda handed him a bottle of sparkling water from Earth as a gift. "You show up with water at their door, you're their friend for life," Amanda told him with a small laugh. Jim smiled back and walked down the street toward the house T'Nara had given him directions to.

It was similar to all the other houses in the area. It was a simple, one story structure whose exterior matched the surrounding landscape. An old fashioned wrought iron fence surrounded it with a gate that used to have a heavy lock. It simply swung open with a slight creak at his touch. Not only that, but the fourth stone squeaked when he stepped on it. It seemed out of place in a culture that preferred the quiet moments of life. Jim rang the doorbell and was greeted by T'Nara who nodded at him before inviting him in.

T'Sara, T'Nara's mother, greeted him quietly. She, like other Vulcan's, was tall and black haired with a slim build, but she had green eyes like her daughter. Her father, Seruk, was slightly shorter than his wife, and had the red hair that he bequeathed to his daughter. Jim simply bowed, "I can see where T'Nara gets her hair and eyes." Both Vulcan's nodded as they moved into the sitting room. Dinner wasn't quite done yet, and T'Sara accepted the bottle of sparkling water graciously.

It turned out that Jim had seen Seruk before, Seruk was a history instructor at the Academy and they had passed each other on occasion in the halls. T'Sara worked in the Astrophysics lab on Gol as researcher.

"I understand you have a physics degree from Earth," T'Sara said, starting off the conversation.

"Yes," Jim replied, "my master's thesis, that I'm still working on, involves string theory. Although, after our study of Triton II, I'm considering looking into hyperstring theories also."

"Those would be difficult to study as they are most easily detected where there are vast distances between stars," T'Sara replied.

"Yeah, I think I'll stick with Quantum Strings for now," Jim said. "What about your research?"

"Mine is along the lines of a hypothesis put forth by Albert Einstein. It's the theory that black holes could lead to other universes very similar to, but not our own. This is based on what happened to the USS Kelvin eighteen years ago. The ship that came out was so far advanced in technology, yet, it was clearly Romulan based on reports on the surviving bridge crew from the Kelvin."

Jim's face went still as T'Sara's words clicked in his brain, "T'Sara, exactly what kind of Romulan vessel do you think it was?"

"From pictures I've seen, which are limited, and descriptions I've heard from the occasional passing Klingon scientist, I'd say it was a mining vessel. I'm not an expert in this field, but that's what seems logical. You had parents on the Kelvin?"

"My father was George Kirk, the one who saved most of the people, including myself and my mother as I was born on the shuttle going away from the ship. He, of course, did not survive. Neither did my mother, I wound up living with my Uncle Frank, Mom's brother, until I was fourteen. Best thing I ever did was run away from home," Jim sighed, then waved away the question forming on T'Sara's lips. "It's an old wound, and one, I suspect, that will never completely heal. I'll just have to learn to live with it."

The silence that followed was awkward, finally, Seruk spoke up, "You'll be taking my Vulcan History class next term."

"Yes," Jim replied, his whole countenance brightening. "I'm interested in it. On Earth it's broken down into three parts: pre-Surak, the Sundering, and post-Surak."

Seruk settled back into his chair in a move that Jim would come to know as his talk mode. "Paleontological excavations show that Vulcan was once in the fifth position around our primary. It was also a much cooler and wetter climate than it is today. 40 Eridani A is now a red star, but it was probably more along the lines of Earth's primary, Sol, is today, a mid-sized yellow star. It's obviously an older star than Sol, as it blew up to a red giant. Vulcan's probable previous position is based on other solar systems of similar types. Of course, evidence of ancient plants, seas and other bodies of water are everywhere if you know where to look."

Seruk took a swallow of water from the cup T'Sara placed at his elbow, "It's estimated that the climate changed along with the sun about twenty million years ago. There were bipedal Vulcanoids present at the time, but they were very primitive so we have no writing from that time. The seas largely dried up, plants and animal died by the millions. Underground aquifers, the polar ice, and a lake and a large sea did remain. Our ancestors struggled to survive, and obviously did.

"The societies that managed to spring up were largely based on small, family based units that could be organized into tribes. When the populations were still small tribes would meet, trade, fight, exchange mates, and do what most humanoid and vulcanoid populations have done across the galaxy. We didn't have sophisticated weapons, spears, swords, and other weapons that served us well when we needed to fight dominated much of our pre-history. Then, we developed space travel and made first contact.

"Four thousand years ago we had developed enough technologically and cooperatively to venture into space. Unlike you, since we don't have any natural satellites, we didn't go there. We did, however, end up at our next neighbor, which is similar to your Mars. We hadn't developed Warp Drive yet, but we were using fusion technology that managed to get us there in reasonable amounts of time. We hadn't, yet, started using that on ourselves. We were in the asteroid and Kuiper belts mining, and were understandably curious if anyone else was out there. We found out the hard way.

"Two hundred years after the first steps into space, we made first contact. Much is made of the Andorians, and our peaceful start with that war-like race, but our first actual contact was with the Orions. Orions then were much like they are today, pirates and slave traders. Oh, they pretended to come in peace, bringing their women with them, but they ended pillaging, plundering, and even kidnapping many of our people. The first use of atomic weapons on our soil was against slavers who had landed near a village. It took out the slavers, the village, and anything living near it.

"After the use of atomics, people, men and women, rose up to take control of these deadly weapons. They threatened, and used them liberally when people didn't bow to their wishes. They had ancient mind-lords who could kill with just a glance at their target. It was even said they could control the weather. Whether or not this is true, this is referred to as the Time of Troubles. Neighbor could not trust neighbor. You noticed how much noise you made coming to the house?" Jim nodded, "Those were defenses set up during the Time of Troubles. This house was built toward the end of it. Toward the end, a man arose from the disaffected by the name of Surak. He was tired, tired of the fighting and the killing. He proposed a new way of life, one of logic. He walked everywhere with two companions, and no weapons. Oh, he could defend himself, but he chose to be a man of peace. He felt the best way of showing his principles, was to live them.

"He traveled Vulcan spreading his philosophy of logic and peace, gathering followers as he went. Much like some of your people in history: Jesus, Buddha, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Mahatma Gandhi among many others. The Sundering was a result of his presence on this world. Originally, those who built the ships that left Vulcan were Surak's followers. They wanted to go off and leave this world to its fate, they felt it would tear itself apart. Surak was at the spaceport, waiting to get on one of the ships when the port was attacked by those who wanted to kill everyone and stop the movement in its tracks. Not all of those who boarded followed the way of logic and peace, as we would find out years later. Thousands fled Vulcan that day, and we would not know of their fate for nearly two thousand years.

"Remember, we hadn't developed warp drive yet and these people were using atomic engines to get them to whatever their destination happened to be. Vulcan fell back into its old ways, but Surak was not forgotten. In fact, his movement picked up speed and spread throughout Vulcan. When the priestesses on Mt. Seleya started practicing it, few dared not follow suit.

"During the next two hundred years after The Sundering we get into what we refer to the Transition. First, Shi'Kahr was solidified as the Capital of Vulcan. The High Council was founded so that people could have a voice in their government and their world. Mating customs were more formalized, the bonding ceremonies that you hear about so much, tribal names were largely dropped. You ever hear a Vulcan tell you their last name?" Jim shook his head. "That's because we no longer have them. Some of the ancient families may still have them written down somewhere, but they are no longer relevant. For example: when addressed formally, Sarek is child of Skonn, child of Solkar, his father and grandfather. It levels the playing field, so to speak.

"Besides these important milestones the Halls of Healing and the Halls of Thought on Mount Seleya were established. On the other side of Vulcan, on Mt. Gol, another society established itself based off the ancient mind lords who perverted out natural telepathic and empathic abilities. There, the monks established Kohlinar. Those who go there prepare to banish all emotions and become one with Vulcan. Very few actually take this step, as it's considered a drastic one. After they do this, they are cut off from their families except on the most formal basis. There's also a sanctuary there where people can go to meditate and 'get away from it all'. All are welcome, as they are on Mt. Seleya, as long as they come in peace.

"Then, two events happened in the span of a decade. A team of scientists working from the Vulcan Science Academy developed Warp Drive. This, of course, allowed us to travel further and faster. We were able to spread to nearby solar systems and colonize other worlds. However, after what happened with the Orions, we avoided any that held sentient species. Slowly spreading out into the galaxy, the next species we made contact with did it in rather spectacular fashion. The Andorian vessel crashed near Mt. Seleya, leaving five of its seven crewmembers dead, one barely clinging to life, and the last died soon afterwards. The young survivor, N'Gaia, was brought to the Halls of Healing on Mt. Seleya. The Healers did their best as they were not familiar with Andorian physiology, and could not give him blood. Other scientists set out beacons hoping to attract his own kind to Vulcan so he would have a better chance at survival.

"Despite the odds being highly against him, he not only survived but settled in at Mt. Seleya for the next six years. He couldn't tell us where Andor was, but he slowly began to understand us, and we him. By the time more Andorians showed up to retrieve him, we could communicate fairly well with them. The fact that we helped him engendered a certain amount of trust between us and them. It started slowly, we traded. N'Gaia returned to Vulcan as an Ambassador of sorts, and one of our people, Tarok, went to Andor. We found that we had many things in common, and they helped us build a defense fleet. We shared scientific data with them. We respected each other in many things. So, we formed an alliance that still exists, two thousand years later.

"We made contact with other species such as the Betazeds, and their desire for peace also formed a lasting alliance with them as well. Then, came that moment two hundredish years ago. Zephram Cochrane ignited the engines on the Phoenix and sent it hurtling through space at Warp One, attracting our attention. It was said that he turned on music so loud at the first meeting that the ship's captain jumped straight out of his seat," Seruk paused. "It was odd, though, when the Vulcans first came off the ship, he greeted them with 'Glad you could make it'. It was almost as if he was expecting them.

"You know the history from there, the first USS Enterprise and T'Pol, the founding of the United Federation of Planets. You know, we're really going to have to introduce you to T'Pol," Seruk said thoughtfully. "As for the Romulans, twenty years after the founding of the Federation, we made contact and saw what we would have become if not for Surak. Warriors, cunning, intelligent, with little to hold them back, they brutalize their own people more than others. Maybe, one day, we could talk to them, but I think there's too much resentment, even if they weren't responsible directly for what happened to the USS Kelvin. Ah, dinner's ready."

Jim smiled, these people would always surprise him. He managed to get through dinner without feeling too awkward, even when T'Sara announced, "Jim, T'Nara is unbonded. If you are interested in getting to know her better, we would not object."

T'Nara saw him out, and under the starlit sky, she quietly told him, I would not object either."

**Thanks to Avirra, Gal, and Nagi at the LJ site for helping me with this.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12 **

by Starsinger

**And we're back to Jim and Spock Prime on Delta Vega. Don't own them.**

_Delta Vega_

Jim stared in awe and awkward fascination at the ancient Vulcan. The mind-meld left a hideous headache that he'd experienced before, but the information he had been bombarded with left him breathless. "So, I was supposed to go to Starfleet Academy," he whispered.

Spock sighed, "I'm not sure, and this is the first time I even considered you would go down a completely different path. My father welcomed you more than he did me."

Jim reached out, palms up, not actually talking the older man, "Spock, I barely know you, either one of you. I know your father and your mother." Jim took a deep breath, remembering the woman who became like a mother to him, one that he'd never had, "Knew your mother. The man I encountered on the Enterprise was just as proud his mother and stubborn as his father. How can I convince him of anything? I'm not Starfleet."

"Jim, all I know is that somehow, somewhere, you must take control of the Enterprise. The fate of Earth and the Federation rests on you doing just that," Spock was once again confronted by those blue eyes. When did Jim get so tall? "There's a Starfleet outpost near here. We'll stand a better chance of getting you back on the Enterprise from there."

_Back on Vulcan_

Jim came home and through a sketchpad on the kitchen table. M'Benga and Amanda looked up at him, quite perplexed. "How am I supposed to work with that woman?! She's impossible!"

"Who?" Amanda asked as Geoff raised an eyebrow.

"T'Pring, I don't understand how she got into the Diplomatic School. We're collaborating on a paper on Andorian society, and she insists that she do all the writing. I have TWO Masters degrees that required that I WRITE papers and DEFEND them! She thinks all I'm good for is drawing!" Jim vented. "She told me, today, that nothing can happen between us, that she's bonded to another man. Like I'd EVER be interested in that…that…"

Geoff started in on the chicken dish trying very hard not to laugh, Amanda responded, "She can be cold."

"THAT is an understatement. Who the HELL is she bonded to?" he asked.

"My son, Spock," Amanda breathed.

Jim's eyes nearly popped out of his skull, "Wow, I wouldn't have blamed him if she was that he left. I'm sorry, Amanda, she's made a lot of assumptions." He sat down and dug into the lunch that she set before him. Jim was an amazing houseguest, he kept his room clean, helped with the housework, and even helped wipe the dishes after every meal. Amanda smiled as they finished lunch. Jim picked up a charcoal pencil and started sketching. Amanda walked behind him and watched him draw a city she'd never seen before.

"Where is that?" she finally asked.

"This is Andor, the capital city of Andor. They actually have their own name, but Andor was easier for most other species to get their mouths around," Amanda couldn't help but admire the drawing as it took shape.

His PADD pinged, _Kirk, here's the paper. T'Pring._

Jim read what she'd written and sighed, "This is barely acceptable. You'll excuse me, I have revisions to make."

Amanda watched as he left the room, "I'm going to call T'Nara." Geoff watched as she rose from the chair and went to the comm.

"Well, I have some books to study," Geoff murmured with a grin before inserting the dishes into the dishwasher and heading off to his own room.

Jim looked up as a knock sounded on his door, "T'Nara! What are you doing here?" he asked, rising from his chair.

"Amanda called, are you okay?" she asked as she sat on his bed. She looked at him, concerned.

"Yeah, T'Pring is a bitch," he breathed.

"Come on," she said, beckoning to him. Jim got up and followed her outside. They ventured into the desert around the house. The muted yellow, tan and brown hues were punctuated with bits of colors of green, red, and blue of various animals that inhabited the Vulcan desert landscape. "Look around you, Jim, you're an amazing person who's chosen to live among complete strangers. The amount of trust that took…"

"T'Nara, what do you know about Tarsus IV?" Jim said interrupting her.

"A famine occurred there, and a massacre. There was a group of children who survived in spite of…" she looked at him. "You have no reason to trust us," she said, comprehension dawning on her face."

"No, Vulcans never abused me. A Vulcan found me, and I was buried deep underground in the Governor's basement. I have a difficult time trusting people, but Vulcans, Vulcans never did me wrong…"

_USS Enterprise_

T'Nara's hands clutched at the observation deck window, "A Vulcan did you wrong now, Jim."

"T'Nara," a voice sounded behind her. She whirled around to discover Geoff and Sarek behind her, "Geoff tells me that Spock threw Jim off the ship. Is that true?"

"Yes, Ambassador," she responded.

"Where are your parents?" he asked.

"They were visiting my brother on Condus IV. I talked to them minutes ago, they are relieved to know that I am safe," she responded.

"Good, Amanda and I spent so much time helping him trust other people, and my own son may have just thrown it all away," Sarek said quietly. T'Nara and Geoff said nothing. They, too, hoped that Spock's actions had not broken the deep sense of trust that Jim had finally forged with those around him.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13 **

by Starsinger

**Jim comes to the realization that a Vulcan is a spoiled, rotten brat, and her name is T'Pring. So, he tries to teach her a few things about writing. Wish a few authors would pay attention to this. Don't own them.**

Jim sighed, it was clear that T'Pring not only didn't have a clue, but was a spoiled, rotten brat. He didn't know that such things could exist on Vulcan, "T'Pring, have you ever written a paper?"

"Of course, my tutors all helped me write my essays for school," she responded coolly.

"In other words, they wrote them for you," he concluded. The woman drew herself up, cool and aloof, he waved at her, "You don't need to answer that. I wrote two Master's Theses and defended them. I will attempt to teach you how to write. First, you must write it in paragraph form."

"I did," she answered.

"One huge paragraph six pages long does not constitute a well-constructed paper. Each point needs to go on a different paragraph. Quotes from cited sources can go in the paragraph, but a number needs to follow each source. If you're quoting people directly, especially in a narrative form, each speaker needs their quote on a separate line. Also, there should be a Bibliography of all cited sources at the end of the paper. Finally, there's the grammar. 'David went to the store with George and I' is not correct. You would not say, 'David went to the store with I,' you would say 'with me'. Therefore, it is 'David went to the store with George and me.' I goes before the verb, me after the verb and prepositions," she looked at him like he was a bug she was about to smash under her shoes. "Alright, you don't believe me. I'm going to rewrite this paper the way it should be written. You could look at it if you wish, and put your name on it alongside mine. But, I'm not putting my name on this!" he held up the six page report in front of him.

"Do not worry, Mr. Kirk, your name will not be sullied by my paper. Neither will my name be sullied by yours," she turned on her heel and left.

T'Nara looked up as Jim pulled out the reconstructed, eighteen page paper from the folder in front of him. "Are you really going to submit that paper?" she asked.

Jim looked at her, "Yes."

T'Nara shook her head as her partner, Tored, shook his head. They had both read both versions of the paper, "It is a better paper," Tored commented.

T'Nara nodded her agreement, "You gave her the drawings for her paper."

Jim grimaced, "Yes, I did. I don't want T'Lon telling me that I didn't support T'Pring."

"No one could accuse you of doing that, Jim," Tored reassured him.

A week later they turned in their papers. Three days later Jim received a message that T'Lon wanted to see both him and T'Pring in her office. Jim sighed and headed for the Academy. T'Lon looked at both of them, "You both submitted a paper."

"Yes, T'Lon," they responded.

"Jim, who wrote the paper?" she asked.

Jim nodded at T'Pring, "She did, T'Lon."

"So, you rewrote it?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, Ma'am. I offered to let both of our names go on the paper after I finished editing it, and she offered to let me put my name on hers. I wanted a good grade," he responded.

"Your previous writing experience is very much in evidence, Jim. Your efforts in the paper and in editing it means you will receive the highest grade possible. T'Pring, he may be human, but he obviously knows what he's doing. You could learn a thing or two from him. Rewrite the paper following Jim's advice."

It was obvious that they had been dismissed. They left her office and walked down the hallway, "T'Pring, all I did was try to help you. Let's go to the library, and we'll go over the paper and what you can do to tighten it up." T'Pring paused, "We have an old saying on earth, 'Don't cut off your nose to spite your face'. Don't turn your nose at my proffered help just because I'm human. It's not logical."

T'Pring looked at him and nodded, "You are correct, of course."

_USS Enterprise_

"T'Nara, did Jim make it off the Enterprise?" T'Nara turned to find T'Pring standing in the doorway. In spite of the rough beginning, she and Jim had forged both respect and a friendship.

"Yes, he did. Spock threw him off the ship," T'Nara replied explaining what happened.

"Maybe I should speak with Spock," T'Pring responded.

T'Nara sighed quietly, "Your relationship is very strained, T'Pring. You don't feel the same way about him anymore, and I don't think he does as well. It was an arranged marriage."

"What are you telling me?" T'Pring whispered, well aware that the man she wanted may not have made it off Vulcan.

"What Jim would suggest, follow your heart," T'Nara told him. They both turned back to the observation window and watched as the stars sped by.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14 **

by Starsinger

**Jim and Company go to some interesting extremes to try and even make heads or tails of some languages. And, a field trip is scheduled. Don't own them.**

It was Geoff who found them in the study at Sarek's home, and he wasn't prepared for what he found. He turned around and got Amanda and Sarek, just to make sure he was seeing what he was seeing. They all walked in and Amanda couldn't help but laugh, "Jim, what are you doing?"

Jim and his friends were standing on their heads trying to read the PADDS, which were right side up, in their hands. "Trying to read Gorn," Jim replied.

"Gorn?" Sarek asked, perplexed. "They have a written language?"

"Yes," Sirek responded. "They may be ectothermic, but their language is quite complex."

"You ought to hear alligators and crocodiles on Earth," Jim said. "You can't tell me they don't communicate."

"Jim," Amanda interrupted, "I'm not sure that crocodilians would be considered to have a language."

"Is the change in position helping?" Sarek asked.

Jim sighed, "No, not really." He rolled over from his position against the wall. The others agreed as they pushed themselves back over. "Fortunately, they're not actually requiring us to learn Gorn, just be familiar with it."

"I take it, it wouldn't have helped orienting the PADD correctly to your position?" Sarek asked.

"Didn't help either way we did it," T'Nara replied, she landed with a thump. Amanda and Geoff grinned and wandered away. Sarek watched, wondering if the often unorthodox approach to studying was Kirk's idea. He wouldn't be surprised if it was.

"Alright," Jim muttered as his PADD pinged, so did the ones the others held. Jim's eyes raised over the top of the PADD. "We're going on a field trip," Jim said with a sigh.

"Betazed," T'Pring responded. Many of the Vulcans in the room had never been off-planet. T'Pring was one of the few who had. She nodded.

"Very similar to Earth, only a larger tropical zone and smaller temperate climates, its inhabitants are telepathic, and communicate mostly through that medium. Humans and Vulcans generally have some psi abilities, therefore, communication with them is not much of a strain," T'Pring read.

"We leave tomorrow," Jim responded. He laughed, "They recommend dressing for cooler weather as the average temperature where we're going is 28°C."

Jim's classmates nodded soberly before getting up to leave. Jim walked them out before he returned to the cooler interior of the home, "The atmosphere's thicker too, they'll have to get used to that." Jim looked at Sarek, "What do you need me to do before you leave?"

Sarek nodded, Jim took his work seriously, "Go through my schedule, and make sure I don't have anything overlapping." Jim nodded before sitting down at the computer and going through Sarek's itinerary. It was fortunate he was not due to go off-planet for the foreseeable future.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Twelve students boarded the shuttle to the Vulcan ship taking them to Betazed. T'Nara sat between Jim and T'Pring. As experienced travelers they sat the nervous young woman between them. T'Nara took deep breaths as they took off. Half-way to Betazed they would transfer to a Betazoid liner to help the Vulcans adapt to the new climes. New clothes had been acquired for all of the Vulcans, Jim just pulled out the suitcase that contained the clothes he had worn on his trip from Earth.

They heard the clunk as the shuttle docked at an airlock with the Vulcan ship. The ship had no shuttle bay, and the airlocks were the only options, other than the transporters, to board it. One of the many crewmembers met them at the lock as T'Lon nodded to them. It was soberly, and quietly done as they were shown their rooms. As Jim expected, it was as austere and undecorated as his room back on Vulcan. He wondered what the Betazoid rooms would look like. He was used to the Vulcan atmosphere and climate, and wondered if he would be up to going back to Terran norm.

Jim sighed as he readied for bed. He could feel the ship jump to warp speed. He didn't expect to be leaving Vulcan this soon, but this was what he signed up for, and Betazoids were reported to be as warm and welcoming as their planets.

**Are they? Well, we actually do know the answer to that. Let's see what the future brings.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

by Starsinger

**Jim receives some disturbing news on the way to Betazed. Don't own them.**

They had boarded the Betazoid ship two days earlier when T'Nara found Jim in the mess with a bleak look on his face. He did not look happy. He had spent enough time on Vulcan and had gained some emotional control, but some things he couldn't hide. T'Nara slid into the seat next to him, "What's wrong?"

Jim sighed, "Winona and Frank."

It took a moment for T'Nara to remember of whom he spoke, his mother and stepfather, "What about them?"

"They're coming to Betazed and want to see me. They say it has something to do with their will, and something about my Grandfather, Tiberius', will," Jim mumbled.

"I don't understand," T'Nara said.

"My brother and his family were on Deneva, everyone but his youngest son died. Peter is being cared for by Aurelan's sister, Deirdre, on Earth. My mother spent most of my life ignoring that I was even alive, and Frank, well, I'm not going there. Sam and I escaped when we could. I can't possibly understand what Winona would want with me in her Will. Grandfather, however," his eyes glittered with unshed tears. "He died before I left for Vulcan. There was another trust fund mentioned, but it was in litigation. Winona, I guess, decided I didn't need it, and sued for the money. The money I received as part of the settlement for my Dad's death benefits were all that I was due, according to Winona."

T'Nara looked around the mess hall. Most of those wandering around were Betazoids returning home. A few others, humans, Vulcans, and a few Andorians, also sat around the tables. The mess was a pale blue color and had various fruit trees scattered around. "What will you do?" she finally asked.

"I don't know," he whispered as the others joined them. He had already eaten, and as it was the meal that included some form of meat. He remained silent throughout the meal. He silently left well before anyone had finished. No one said anything, and T'Nara rose soon after finishing her own meal. The excitement that exuded from Jim before that morning seemed to just snuff out. She found him in the lounge, alone, staring out into space. He never looked up, "I told her that I'd meet her. There's a café in the Capital, Rixx, where off-worlders frequently meet. That way she won't know where I'm staying."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jim's ebullient spirit finally reasserted itself before they landed on Betazed. He smiled and charmed his way through many a spirited discussion. One Vulcan Physicist insisted that Quantum Strings did not exist. Jim pointed out the formularies, and even damage to vessels that could have not been caused by anything else. He met a young Scot on his way Earth from visiting family on Oreb IV, and he quietly listened to him talk about his theory on trans-warp beaming. His only comment being, "If this is true about beaming, could we not translate that to the Warp Drive?" The young Scot was flummoxed.

The Vulcans wore warmer clothing, sweaters included. Jim wore khaki shorts and a t-shirt. The air seemed very thick as they were confronted with humidity, some for the first time in their lives. "Ah," Jim sighed. "Reminds me of Georgia in the summer." He looked at everyone, "Aren't you hot?" If there had been an expression on T'Lon's face when he looked at him, T'Nara was sure it would have been one of absolute horror. He even stared at the pair of thongs on Jim's feet as they slapped against the bottom of his feet as he walked away and left the tops of them bare.

They stayed at what would have been termed as a wayfarer's hostel. Tiny rooms just big enough for a bed, stacked on top of each other. They crawled into their room and found a curtain covered the door allowing for privacy. Bathrooms down the hall and lockers nearby provided for other necessities. Jim shrugged before climbing into his own space. They were all tired. Tomorrow, T'Lon had provided some time for a tour of Rixx, and for Jim to take care of his business.

The next day, the Vulcans were still adjusting to the new planet as Jim headed out, PADD in hand. "Jim, do you want me to go with you?" T'Nara asked.

Jim's eyebrows creased momentarily as he considered the questions, "No, T'Nara, go, enjoy yourself. I'll meet up with you later."

T'Nara was struck at the sheer wastefulness of water that was evident on Betazed. They all were. Their tour guide smiled, "I forgot, Vulcan is a desert planet. Betazed is a water world. We have more to go around. Hundreds of years ago, we faced the same issues that Earth did in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. We had changed the climate significantly. We are also a stubborn species, but we cannot lie. So, we faced the needs of changing our habits head on."

T'Pring raised a hand, "Is that because you are full telepaths?"

"That we cannot lie? Yes, what use is it to lie when everyone would know instantly that you had," she replied. They biked through the capital. Bicycles were an Earth invention, but many cultures had stolen it as a handy and clean form of transportation. In fact, when Jim joined back up with him, he rode a bike as well. A backpack strapped to his back the only visible addition from his morning departure. They met up with him at an estate on the outskirts of Rixx. A picnic had been set up by the local family matriarch, who smiled at her guests as they ate.

After returning to their hostel Jim and T'Nara sat down in the lounge where he pulled actual paperwork out it, "My Grandfather's Will has been settled. As his sole remaining grandson, I am receiving the bulk of his estate, which consists of a large farm in Riverside, Iowa, and a stipend of 5,000 credits a month. Peter is receiving one as well that will go to his maintenance until his is old enough to control it himself. I'll control that stipend until he's eighteen."

T'Nara looked at the papers, "What about Frank and Winona."

"Winona's leaving her estate to Peter. Not surprisingly, I'm getting nothing. I don't need anything from her or Frank. Frank did promise that he's giving me the piano I admired. He's occasionally been fair to me, when he wasn't drunk."

"How long has it been since you had a drink?" T'Nara asked.

Jim thought, "It was before I left Earth. One last toast to good old Iowa." He sat a moment before saying anything more, "I wish I could talk to Sam. I still can't believe he's gone." T'Nara let the silence stay. She could only imagine what it was like to lose so much as Jim had in the short time he'd been alive.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16 **

by Starsinger

**We continue our adventures on Betazed. Don't own them.**

Jim sat in the café across from the hostel, looking at a picture. T'Nara came up behind him to see a blonde haired child surrounded by two sisters who were older than he. "Is that Peter," she asked.

"Yeah, that's Peter," he said with a sad smile. "He looks like me at that age, believe it or not. Look at the eyes." T'Nara looked closer and saw the startling blue eyes peering back that belonged to his uncle. "No, he's not mine. I met Aurelan once at their wedding, and Peter is their youngest. Sam's eyes were green," Jim's voice had a slight hitch to it.

T'Nara sat down next to him and proceeded to consume her meal. The other Vulcans joined them as they each ordered their meal. Jim stuck to the meal plan he had started on Vulcan, He stuck with orange juice, toast with jelly, and oatmeal, well, and their Betazoid equivalent anyway. T'Lon looked at them before she spoke, "Today, we meet with the Betazoid Council. To all outward appearances Betazed is a matriarchal society with women inheriting everything. Truth be told, it's not. Yes, property and other inheritances tend to go to the oldest daughter, but, it can go, legally, to either sex. The council is comprised of both men and women. Currently, it is six men and four women of all different backgrounds. So, this a fairly egalitarian society. Just be polite, and remember, they can tell instantly if you're lying," she pinned Jim with her stare.

They stood and proceeded to the Hall of the Council. Various people walked by, and some even smiled at the off-worlders. Jim absently smiled back while the others merely nodded. They entered the building, and it was just that. Nothing marked it out as a governmental building except the sign outside that read, "Hall of the Council". The halls were white, the reception area was also white. A man sat behind a desk and smiled at them, _May I help you?_ It wasn't spoken, Jim heard it clear as a bell in his head.

"Yes," T'Lon spoke. "We are the group from Vulcan to observe the council meeting today."

_Oh, yes, from the Vulcan Science Academy. Follow me._ They did, and found themselves in a room similar to that of the Vulcan Council room that Jim had been in weeks earlier with Sarek. Ten men and women sat at a semi-circular table on a dais at the front of the room. The students sat in the stadium like seating toward the back. Jim turned on his PADD to record the meeting, just as if he were Sarek's aide at the meeting.

The main purpose of the meeting was a call from Starfleet regarding some of the graduates from the University of Betazed. They had been given permission to recruit from the University, but only about ten had so far signed up for Starfleet Academy. All were destined for some sort of Psychiatric role. Some of the residents were protesting the recruitment, while others were praising it, giving the young people, who were not likely to inherit anything, a way to become productive citizens. Where the conversations were entirely telepathic, Jim typed notes into the PADD.

T'Pring leaned over and realized what Jim was doing, "Why are you doing that?" she asked softly.

"Keeping in practice," Jim whispered back. "Plus, it'll make a good study, contrasting the styles of Betazed and Vulcan."

"You've done this at a Vulcan High Council meeting?" T'Lon asked, startled.

"Of course, I am Ambassador Sarek's aide," Jim responded, keeping a close eye on the proceedings.

T'Lon nodded, "It is highly probable that we will learn from the notes that Mr. Kirk is jotting down."

"I wish you would call me Jim, Professor," Jim said.

"It would not be appropriate," the professor responded.

"Why not? You call the others by their first name," Jim retorted.

"They do not have last names," T'Lon said.

"My point exactly," Jim replied, turning back to his PADD to jot down more telepathically sent notes. T'Lon was left speechless as the meeting came to an end.

A striking woman approached them. Her mid-brown hair, dark eyes and imperious gaze took them all in before she smiled, "I am Adralla Konev, one of the councilors here. If you will follow me, I will take you to my office and we can talk about what transpired here, and how Betazed is different from and similar to many of the other Federation worlds."

Adralla led them into a spacious office where an aide looked up and nodded at them before returning to his screen. "Councilor," Jim started, "It says here that you are a daughter of the Fifth House of Betazed and Holder of the Sacred Chalice of Rixx. What exactly does this signify?"

She smiled genuinely at the young human, "Not a lot really, I have a large estate in the countryside, and there are like thirty houses that are ranked one to thirty. Mine just happens to be number five. The Sacred Chalice is something that is passed down from generation to generation to whomever inherits the estate."

"Does it always pass down the female line?" Jim asked.

"Usually, although my great grandfather held the Chalice until he died and passed it on to my grandmother," she answered. "Any questions about the meeting, or Betazed?"

"You have an Ambassador to the Federation," Tuvon chimed in. "How does he best represent Betazed's interest there?"

Adralla was charming and open as she continued her conversation with the students. She answered their questions as best she could, and finally ended it with an invitation to a garden party she was holding their last day on Betazed. She even looked Jim over, something he that did not escape his notice. T'Nara noticed that he smiled politely back at her, but did not seem to return her interest.

"Jim," T'Nara said quietly back at the hostel. "Did you not find Adralla attractive?" She was a little fearful of the answer.

Jim brushed her hand with his own before answering, "Yes, but I find you more so." He looked around carefully, making sure they were alone before leaning in for a kiss. She surprised herself by losing herself in not only the kiss, but in him. She was suddenly certain that the universe revolved around him and that he definitely had feelings for her and her alone.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

by Starsinger

**We're going to a party! Don't own them.**

_Delta Vega_

Jim sighed as he and Spock looked across the icy tundra. He was suddenly taken back to that trip to Betazed so long ago. The animals had been a lot nicer. Hell, the terrain had been a **whole** lot more hospitable, and warmer. He looked at his companion who nodded.

They encountered no more enormous inhabitants on the long, cold, hurried trek to the Starfleet outpost they saw. It took a moment for them to actually operate the door mechanism. They weren't quite sure if it was because the computer wasn't working, of the opening mechanism had frozen shut. They entered the building to be approached by one of the smallest beings he had ever met. Of course, being six feet tall meant he was taller than many humanoids.

The being, who called himself Keenser, snorted before leading them to the interior of the building. Jim started when he realized who was reclining in the chair in front of him…

_Betazed_

T'Nara and Jim didn't quite hold hands, the others would have looked disapprovingly at that, but it was obvious they were closer. Their chairs were a tad bit closer to each other. They still walked side by side, but they walked a little closer to each other. Nothing was ever obvious, but people knew. Especially the morning that T'Nara offered Jim a cup of water. Jim blushed, even he knew what that meant. They were unofficially officially a couple.

That afternoon they attended Adralla's garden party. She laid a feast designed for many species: Herbivores, Carnivores, Omnivores, and those who ate carrion. That food she kept in a sealed tent so that it wouldn't disturb the other guests. Like so many of her social ranking, her sprawling estate took up at least thirty acres of land. The house was modest by Betazoid means. It only had twenty-two bedrooms and facilities. The gardens took another fifteen acres, and the rest were left to the wild lands that the local populace kept, ensuring that the ecological balance of the area.

They saw many animals, some looked familiar. There were animals that looked like deer, rabbits, and a canine that came through and causing many people to stop and watch. Others looked different. There were many animals that had six and eight legs, and were significantly larger than Earth insects. There were no large, flying animals such as birds and bats, but there were flying insects. Several servitors were handing out a grain substance and told them to sit on the steps at the back of a gazebo. Jim and T'Nara along with T'Pring and another Vulcan, Stonn, ventured over to the structure and sat.

One of the deer-like animals, Adralla called them Joar, ventured out of the forest and approached them. Jim extended a hand with the grain. The animal approached cautiously, sniffing at Jim's hand. It nuzzled his hand before nuzzling it with its soft, velvety nose. Jim laughed softly, wondering if it was male or female. She turned cautiously, making a high-pitched noise behind her as the other three held out there hands. Two smaller animals, her youngsters obviously, approached them. It seemed that T'Nara and T'Pring almost held their breaths as the young Joar also accepted their gifts. Soon, the three headed back into the forest and Stonn tossed his handful onto the ground, confident that it would be eaten.

By mutual agreement they rose and headed back to the party. There seemed to be an awful lot of cucumber sandwiches, and Jim searched for a little more variety. He found other dainties. Fruit filled tarts, meat and cheese sandwiches, and salads. He loaded up a plate with his choices, and picked up a glass that he was promised wasn't alcoholic. He watched as his fellow students loaded up their own plates.

Adralla looked sleek in a summer dress of pale blue as she mingled with her guests. A man travelled at her side and appeared to be her husband. Two others, a boy of about twelve and a girl of about eight, also wandered through. Jim surmised that they were her children. The affair was quite sedate as an orchestra sat nearby playing music. Adralla stopped and talked to T'Nara and Jim, "Are you enjoying yourselves?"

"Yes, Ma'am," Jim replied. T'Nara nodded her head, suddenly shy.

Adralla smiled, "Good, you've found your way to each other." She waved the man to her side, "This is my husband, Ilio."

Ilio crooked a grin at them, "It's a pleasure. Adralla told me about meeting you. Is it true you recorded the meeting?"

Jim smiled, "I'm Ambassador Sarek's aide, and have the tendency to take notes that way. Helps me keep track of things that he might need to know."

"Can I steal you?" Adralla asked with a laugh. "How does it feel to be the first non-Vulcan at the Academy?"

"It's different, but they've treated me well. I've heard they can be mean, but I've never seen that," Jim replied.

"Well, I hope you continue to be so fortunate," Adralla replied. "You leave for home tomorrow?"

"Yes," T'Nara replied. "It will be good to be home again." Jim silently agreed, it seemed odd, but Vulcan was now his home in his mind and his heart.

_Delta Vega_

…"Scotty?" Jim exclaimed.

"Do I know you?" the other man replied.

Spock looked at him, "You are Montgomery Scott."

"I'm sorry, I'm none the wiser. Do I know you?" Scotty asked again.

"We met when you travelled to the Academy. You were talking about Transwarp Beaming," Jim said.

"Oh, now I remember. You wondered if those principles could be applied to warp engines. I cannae e'en get the beaming right. Made Admiral Archer's dog disappear…" his voice trailed off as the elderly Vulcan stared at him. "Can I help you?"

"Well, do you have a beaming platform? We need to get Jim back on the Enterprise," Spock replied.

"Yeah, I have one, but how do you propose to do that?" Scotty asked. They both watched incredulously as Spock nodded, indicating that he could do just that.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18 **

by Starsinger

**I did mention this is AU and does veer wildly out of Cannon, didn't I? Wait, there's little actual cannon in this story, that's why they call it an AU. lol They meet living legends. Don't own them.**

Readjusting to Vulcan took a little time. Fortunately, they hadn't been on Betazed long enough to require Jim to go back on the triox compounds. The heat was a little disconcerting, but easier to adjust to. Geoff was glad to see him, and so was Amanda. Sarek was relieved. Apparently, he had received several messages telling him that Jim was going to be hijacked by someone else who saw his potential as an aide.

Three days after their return, another professor, Soret, announced that their history class would be visited by two living legends: Admiral Jonathan Archer and T'Pol. This set off murmurs in the crowd of students. Jim smiled, he'd met Admiral Archer many times, and considered him an old family friend. "You know something, don't you?" T'Pring asked, leaning over to whisper in his ear.

"You'll see," Jim responded.

The elderly Admiral and the middle-aged Vulcan entered the room with the ease of long acquaintance. Archer smiled, T'Pol did not. "Greetings Admiral Archer, T'Pol. Welcome to History of the Federation," Soret welcomed them into the classroom.

"Thank you, Professor," Jon responded. "As you've probably guessed, I am not T'Pol," Jim laughed, no one else did. "So, it's true, a human attends the Academy this year," he shaded his eyes with his hand and peered into the crowd. "Jim, is that you?"

"Yes, Jon, it's me, how are you?" Jim said with a grin.

"Better now that I know that there's someone in here to laugh at my bad jokes," Archer responded. Jim smiled again, "So, all of you know of me, now, and at least one of you knows me. Here we go, I am Admiral Jonathan Archer. I am from Earth, and I commanded the first ship that would become a Federation Starship, the NX-01 USS Enterprise. 'Enterprise' has a long and illustrious career as a name throughout Earth's history. My father worked with many people on the Enterprise, and died before it launched. I commanded the Enterprise on its many voyages. T'Pol and several others served with me," he glanced affectionately at the Vulcan, "Most of them: Tripp and Hoshi Sato have passed away." Pain flickered across his face as he mentioned the names. Jim understood all too well, especially about Hoshi.

"Okay," he flickered the screen on behind them, "This is MY Enterprise." An impressive looking ship came up, "She was history, and in a museum, I might add. When you make the trip to San Francisco, you'll be able to see this ship. I suppose I belong in a museum somewhere, but they can't afford to feed me," Jim snickered again. Various pictures of the interior of the ship and many members of the crew. The last two were of Tripp and Sato. "Since then, I've been Commander Starfleet. That's right, I'm a Fleet Admiral, and been married and had three children." Another pic of three children, two girls and a boy flashed on the screen. "I am currently retired, but teaching at Starfleet Academy."

T'Pol stepped forward, "I am T'Pol. I am a former sub-Commander for Vulcan and Starfleet. I am married and have two children." No pictures accompanied this statement, she was Vulcan after all. I currently serve in a consulting position to several firms on and off Vulcan as someone with experience with other species. I also lecture some here at the Academy, and at Starfleet Academy."

Jon looked around, "Are there any questions?"

T'Pring shot up a hand, "Starfleet and the Federation's set goal is to keep peace in throughout the Federation. Yet wars, most notably with the Klingons and the Romulans, and travesties, such as Tarsus IV, have occurred. How does this impact their mission statements?"

Pain flickered across Archer's face, and something resembling emotion might have crossed T'Pol's face, "Wars are inevitable when rival species vie for the same resources," Hoshi Sato's picture flickered back onto the screen. "Hoshi was one of the casualties of Tarsus IV. There are several survivors of Tarsus IV here on Vulcan." A picture flashed on the screen, a boy, hard to identify through the grainy frame and black and white structure, stared at the screen. He was gaunt, malnourished, and had precious food in his arms. "Does anyone know who this is?" Archer asked.

"JT," someone answered. "The human boy who saved many of the children on Tarsus IV. No one knows his identity."

T'Pol nodded, "The Tarsus 9, and none of them are identifying who this boy is, or even if he's alive. He returned to Earth severely injured, and simply disappeared after he was discharged from the hospital. All of their records have been sealed, his have simply disappeared. It's like he never existed."

"He is the bane of Kodos' perfect little world. He refused to die, and he refused to let those around him die. If I could, I would ask him what happened to Hoshi," Jon whispered. "Tarsus was an anomaly, we all hope. We have set in place safeguards so that this will never happen again on colony worlds. If we lose contact with any colony for longer than a week, we send a ship out to find out why. Any other questions?"

T'Nara watched as Jim simultaneously recorded the class and typed something into his PADD. He seemed to paying no attention to the guests whatsoever. After the class ended Jim went up and smiled at the Admiral. T'Nara watched as they spoke for several minutes before Jim turned and left. She watched carefully as he turned and looked at Archer before hitting a button on his PADD before leaving for his next class. Archer's PADD beeped at him. "Oh my god," Archer murmured. "JT is alive."

T'Pol's head jerked toward the old man, "What makes you say that?"

"This," Archer replied handing his PADD to T'Pol. On it was a full account of Sato's life and death on Tarsus IV from the perspective a thirteen year old boy who lived during one of the greatest tragedies the Federation had ever seen.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19 **

by Starsinger

**A few notes, I am not a fangirl, I am not a Trekkie. I am a Trek-aholic, and I'm never going to be in recovery. Forty-five years is a habit I refuse to break. At the time I wrote about Geoff and an Ebola outbreak, I was oblivious to what was going on in West Africa. I read "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston, oh, about twenty years ago, and am fully informed as to how Ebola is transmitted, unlike a certain Tea Party idiot. My thoughts go out to those in Africa who are watching their family and friends die and are helpless to do anything to stop it. Last, I have a crush on Scott Bakula (Jonathan Archer), and have since "Quantum Leap". If the "forty five year habit" hasn't given you a hint as to my age, well, that show should! lol **

T'Nara met up with Jim outside his next class, euphemistically called "Diplomacy 101". "Jim!" she called. He turned, a genuine smile crossing his face, "You're JT, aren't you?"

The words had spoken in a low tone, meant only for his ears. Yet, he looked around before steering her toward an empty room and closing the door. "How did you figure that out?"

T'Nara looked at him, "I saw you typing on your PADD during the entire class, and I saw you turn and look at Admiral Archer and T'Pol before the Admiral got 'JT's' message. How did you…?" T'Nara wasn't sure how to finish the sentence.

Jim looked away from her, "It was a long time ago, T'Nara, and it's a time I'd rather not talk about. Yes, I'm JT, and yes, I erased my very existence from the records. There are nine other people who know who I am."

"The other members of the Tarsus 9 and who else?" T'Nara asked.

"Captain Christopher Pike," Jim said. "He actually helped me get back home without being discovered."

"You have mentioned someone named Frank. Who is he?" T'Nara asked.

"He's my stepfather. Our relationship is…complicated," Jim responded.

"He abused you," it wasn't a question. Jim looked at her, "Abused often have mixed feelings about their abusers. You love him, do you not?" Jim stared at the floor. T'Nara reached forward and forced his chin up, "That is not actual love; that is fear. You cannot love something you fear. You escaped to the University of Iowa?"

"Yes, he couldn't get to me in Iowa, and Chris made sure that my tuition and home were paid for while I was there. My father was George Kirk."

"The USS Kelvin," T'Nara replied, the memory suddenly rising to the surface. "Your mother remarried?"

"Yes, and he was good to us in the beginning," he told her the story of the beginning of the marriage, and then his mother's leaving for longer and longer periods of time. "When I was twelve, Frank decided to sell my dad's car, and both my brother, Sam, and I had had enough. So, Sam took off, and I left in the car, and promptly drove it off a cliff. Pissed Frank off to no end, when he bailed me out of jail, he beat me within an inch of my life. Chris showed up an hour later and saw me bleeding on the floor of the kitchen. He called the police. Frank went to jail, I went to live with my father's sister on Tarsus IV, and my stuff went into storage. After I returned, I was sixteen, years out of high school, and had nothing to do. So, I ended up at the University of Iowa."

"And that's how you eventually ended up here on Vulcan," T'Nara whispered.

"Yeah, that's how I ended up here. Although, I was considering Starfleet. They were building a new ship at the Riverside Shipyards. She was magnificent looking, and I actually had a hand in helping with the engineering aspects of her. They were going to name her the USS Enterprise. Ironic, isn't it?" Jim asked, winding an arm around her waist and pulling her to him. She wound her own arms around his neck as he pressed his lips to hers, "I like doing that with you."

"I enjoy it myself," she returned. They broke apart as the bell rang, "We need to get to class."

Jim nodded as they both left and headed for class. The next day, T'Nara entered the first Pon Farr of her adult life.

**I'm not afraid of making the next chapter a little more adult, but, if I do, the more mature chapter will only be posted on my AO3 account. Opinions?**


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